3 Best Restaurants in Center Strip, Las Vegas

Chef Bobby Flay scored another hoped-for hot spot at Caesars Palace with his replacement for the popular Mesa Grill. With a menu emphasizing seafood (thanks to Flay's visits to Italy's Amalfi Coast), the new restaurant encourages diners to visit a "market" section near the back, where they can choose a whole fish and one of three ways to prepare it. A "knowledgeable fishmonger" is on hand to answer the diners' questions, right down to where the fish comes from and how long it's been sitting. One thing to note: this is Flay's first foray into an Italian restaurant concept.

Although chef Julian Serrano has stepped away from this lakeside Italian restaurant, the tradition continues. The emphasis is on seafood, with starter choices such as oysters with tangerine mignonette, hamachi or salmon crudo, and scallops and prawns with saffron fregola. Pizzettas include one with fresh black truffle, guanciale, and truffle cheese. Pasta dishes range from good ol' spaghetti and meatballs to gnocchi with wild boar sausage, and entrées include a mixed seafood grill, osso buco, steaks, and chicken. 

This offshoot of the Chicago original—from celebrity couple Giuliana and Bill Rancic and Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises siblings R. J., Jerrod, and Molly Melman—has a modern-Italian mission, which is reflected in its sleek, sophisticated decor. The Vegas-classic starters of steak tartare and beef carpaccio are joined by the more creative Maine lobster caprese and bluefin tuna crudo. The expected pastas are joined by one with spicy king crab, and a selection of steaks and chops, seafood, and Italian classics round out the menu. There's a three-course lunch prix fixe menu on weekdays and kids' and gluten-free menus. Happy hour from 3 to 6 pm weekdays offers discounted cocktails, wines, and small bites.